


Off-balance

by Mirime



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Kid Fic, Prompt Fic, RivaMika Jam, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 04:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4652985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirime/pseuds/Mirime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa always gets what she wants. Levi won't know what hit him. A kid!fic written for the second round of <a href="http://rivamikajam.tumblr.com">RivaMika Jam</a> on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off-balance

**Author's Note:**

> The theme for the second RivaMika Jam was Ackerbabies. [edelweissred](http://edelweissred.tumblr.com) prompted: Kid versions of Levi and Mikasa, there should be a bubble gum.

Mikasa wasn't the type of child that got bored easily when she had no one to pay attention to her. She was perfectly content to observe people, especially when those people were new. She and her parents lived in a small community where everyone knew everyone. This trip, though, had them meeting a lot of new people. Most of those were adults, Mikasa had only seen one other child and even that boy seemed to be at least three years older than her. So she sat quietly next to her mother and watched everyone as they talked and laughed and drank and ate. Even she had her limits, though.

The dinner earlier had been nice. A lot of the adults had smiled at her and praised how well-mannered she had been and Mikasa had been content to just sit there and bask in that praise. But she was still only nine years old and the adult talk all around her was starting to bore her. The large hall they were in had many doors that led to a balcony and as it was getting dark, Mikasa got curious about how different the sky would look here.

She tugged at her mother's sleeve.

"May I go outside?"

The adults stopped talking and looked at her as if they had completely forgotten about her presence.

"She's quiet as a mouse," a tall man who had been talking to her father said with a chuckle.

"Don't let it fool you, she can be a chatterbox on most of the days but it's a new place and new people," her father told the man and then turned to Mikasa. "Just give me a moment to finish talking and I'll take you."

"Or my nephew can. He's a responsible boy, if a bit on the sour side," the tall man said. "Oi, Levi! Come here!"

The boy Mikasa had noticed earlier came over.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You've got a babysitting duty," the man said, pointing to Mikasa. "That's Mikasa, she wants to go outside. Mikasa, this brat here is Levi, he'll look after you. And if he doesn't, just tell me."

Mikasa was looking between the uncle and nephew, never having seen two people to talk to each other in such a way.

"There's no need to trouble him," her father started to say but the other man waved off his protests.

"I'm pretty sure he wants to get out of here, too."

"It's no trouble," the boy added. "I promise to look after her."

"Well, if Mikasa doesn't mind..."

Mikasa looked at the boy. He was taller than her, though not by much. He had dark hair and blue eyes and although he looked as if he was perpetually frowning, he didn't seem unfriendly. A bit sad, maybe. It would be more fun to go outside with someone nearer her age, anyway.

"Okay," she said and impulsively grabbed his hand, starting to drag him after her. "Let's go, Levi."

She heard the adults chuckle at their sudden exit but she didn't mind. Levi quickly caught up to her and they went out on the balcony. Mikasa didn't realize how stifling the hall had become until she took a breath of the fresh evening air. And then she spotted the railing around the balcony and she squealed in joy.

"What's wrong?" Levi asked but Mikasa ignored him. She dropped his hand and ran over to the railing, taking hold of the top and she pulled herself up. "Mikasa!"

She quickly found her balance and grinned down at him.

"It's like the balance beam in my gymnastic class, only wider."

She posed on one leg, her arms stretched for balance as she leaned her body forward and extended the other leg behind her. Levi was standing close by, looking ready to catch her if she fell. She wouldn't but he didn't know that.

"I'm going to win the Olympics one day," she said as she changed her legs. She briefly considered doing a handstand but she wasn't properly warmed up and her fancy clothes weren't fit for that type of exercise anyway. "I'm the best in my class, I won the regional championship last month."

"You could have warned me before you tried that," he muttered. "Do you always do reckless sh-stuff like that?"

Mikasa shook her head as she sat down on the railing, swinging her legs back and forth. It was hard to explain why she had done what she had. Maybe it was the fact she had been cooped up inside for a long time or that she had missed her practice earlier. Or maybe she just wanted to show off.

"It just felt like a good idea," she admitted and Levi sighed. He hoisted himself up on the railing next to her.

"Well, warn me the next time you have a good idea, okay?"

"Sure."

They fell silent after that. Mikasa got the impression that Levi wasn't a very talkative type. She snuck a glance at him. He stared up at the sky and she followed his gaze. It was pretty. The few constellations Armin had pointed out to her and Eren once were in the same place which was a bit disappointing. They had traveled for three hours to get to the resort, the sky could have been a bit different.

Mikasa pulled out a pack of her favourite bubblegum.

"Would you like some?" she asked. Levi looked down and shook his head.

"No, thanks."

Mikasa shrugged and started chewing. Once the gum was properly chewed up, she blew a bubble. She was careful and it got pretty big before it popped. She sucked it back and continued chewing.

"That was disgusting," Levi told her. Mikasa would have stuck out her tongue at him but she was busy blowing another bubble. Once that one popped, she did just that.

"You're just jealous because you can't do it."

"Sure, that's it," he drawled and Mikasa kicked his shin.

"I bet you couldn't even make a bubble."

He looked at her and she stared back challengingly. She had a feeling he was just as competitive as herself and was proven right when he held out his palm.

"Give me a piece."

She grinned in victory - he fell for the same ploy as Eren had, boys were so transparent - and handed him a gum. She watched in anticipation as he chewed it up, looking far too serious for what he was doing. And then she watched as he sucked in his cheeks and blew the most perfect bubble she had ever seen.

"How?" she whispered.

Levi let the bubble deflate and sucked it back in.

"I was the bubble-blowing champion in the third grade," he explained. "And I still think it's disgusting," he added and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping his mouth.

Mikasa didn't really care. Levi was cool. Maybe a bit weird but cool nonetheless. And as their families were staying for the entire weekend, she knew it likely they would see a lot of each other. And she was fine with that.

"Levi?"

"Hmm?"

"You're going to teach me all your tricks, right?"

"I don't think you're going to give me a choice."

She kicked his shin again for that.


End file.
